Pneumatic automobile lift



May 21. 1940 rv. s. MAKARQFF Er AL 2,201,189

rNEUMATIc AUTbMoBILE LIFT Original Filed Dec. 1. 1957 Pal ITI

iff-Q3 AN vw o .m n mo A T K JM m A V M l x S E L WA BY Q4@ www ATTORNEY Patented May 21, 1940 PNEUMATIO AUTOMOBILE LIFT Vadim S. Makaroi, New York, and Alexis Jack.-

son, Niagara Falls, N. Y.: said to said Makaroff Jackson assignor Application December l, 1937, Serial No. 177,480

Renewed September 20, 1939 Claims.

Our invention rela-tes to auto lifts and has particular reference to lifts or lifting devices for automobiles and similar vehicles.

An important object of our invention is to pro- 5 vide a lift with parallel beams or rails adapted to support an automobile, a mechanism being provided for raising the beam in a substantiallyv horizontal position. For this purpose we provide a longitudinally extending base and connect it at the ends with the beamsrlby two sets of arms, the ends of the arms being respectively connected by pivots with the base and the beam so as to form two -parallelograms We als'o provide a motor for turning one set of the arms on their pivots for raising them with the beams.

Another object of ourv invention is to provide a lift having its mechanism mounted below the level yof the floor in a garage-or repair shop, the lifting beams or rails only being exposed, thereby eliminating all the possible obstructions for work around the automobile supported on the beams. For this purpose We provide a, motor in the form of a cylinder mounted 4on a base supported below` the floor level, the cylinder having a piston connected with one set of arms. We also provide a ramhet bar pivotally connected with the cylinder and engaging the piston in such manner that the ratchet bar supports the piston and the arms in a raised position. We also provide a manually operable valve-for controlling the admission of a compressed fluid into the cylinder. ing theratchet lbar We provide a smaller aircylinder with a piston which moves the bar away from the arms when the cylinder is under pres- 35 sure thereby releasing the piston so that the latter can move back into the cylinder under pressure from the rails and the automobile.

turn upward by their other ends until they also strike the rear axle. The force being thus equalized, the further movement of the arms results in the liftingof the whole automobile. This effect can be also obtained if there is but one lifting I mo-tor in which case the front axle of the automobile should be preferably placed over the motor.

We prefer to space the rails so that they can be used for supporting the axles between the wheels of an automobile, leaving the wheels free and accessi-ble. In certain cases it is desired, however, to support the automobile by its wheels. For -this purpose we provide an adapter in the form of'a separate frame removably fitted over' the beams and having flat beams or rails for sup-v porting the wheels. Therails have flanges extending vertically so as to retain the wheels when they are lifted. The flat portions of the rails lmay be brought down to thelevel of the floor in $0 For releas- Another object of our invention is to provide a device especially suitable for lifting automobiles 4.o or similar vehicles by their front and rear axles which arel located at different elevations above the floor. For this' purpose We provide certain small clearances'in the pivoted connections between the arms and the beams so as to enable the beams or rails to deviate from the true horizontal posi-tion when they first come in contact with the axles. A small freedom of motion thereby obtained causes the lifting force to be' distributed order to facilitate placing the automobile thereon.

Our invention is more fully described in the accompanying specification and drawing in whichy Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational view of our 2li auto lift showing diagrammatically the arrangement of air valves.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a lift with a removable frame for raising an automobile by its wheels.

Our auto lift comprises aframe formed of. two parallel beams i placed on shoulders in an excavation or pit 2.v The beams are connected together at the ends by cross beams 3 and have bearing plates 4 with holes for shafts 5 and 5 supporting ends of arms 6 and 6' so that they lie horizontally on the beams. The other ends of the arms have holes for shafts 'l and l ttedby vthe ends in beams or rails 8. The latter arev 'upper portions of the pistons.

lthe sides of the beams.

spaced apart so that they can support an automobile by its axles and are of suicient length for lifting an automobile horizontally by both of itsv axles. Cylinders 9 and 9 have .yokes l0 .in the upper portions fastened by their iiangesto Pistons Il and Il' slide in the cylinders and have trunnions l2, l2' formed byshafts passing through the enlarged The trunnions pass through elongated slots I3 in the arms 6 and 6'. Notches Il are provided Iin the sides of the pistons forming teeth I5 which are engaged by hooks on the endsof pawls i6. 'Ihe other ends if of the pawls are pivoted at I6 to the sides of the .cylinders 9 and 9` 'I'he pawls are pivotally convsides so that the pawl can slide over them when 'the pistons are raised but prevent the pistons from sliding down.

A pipe extends from 1the cylinders 9 and 9 and is connected with a pipe 2l leading to a source of compressed air (not shown) or other the latter arm.

are placed in the pipe 2|.

suitable compressed fluid. A check valve 22 and a, manually operable valve 23 with a handle 2li Vmoved over the lift so that its front axle 32 is placed beyond the shaft 1 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the rear axle 33 being also shown in dotted lines. The valve 23 is then opened admitting compressed air through the check y valve 22 into the cylinders 9 and 9', causing the pistons II and II' to move out. of the cylinders. The trunnions or shafts I2 and I2' will lift the arms 6 and 6 thereby raising the beams 8. 'I'he latter will come at first in contact with the front axle 32 which is lower than the rear axle. Because of the increased resistance for the movement of the first piston, the beams 8 will rotate around the shafts 'l until their rear portions come in contact with the rear axle 33. This slight deviation from the true parallelogram is made possible yby employing slight working clearances in the bearings for the shafts 5, 5', 'i and l. We have found that satisfactory results are obtained with clearances of about 315". After the load is thereby substantially equalized on both cylinders, the operation continues until the desired elevation is reached as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The effect of small clearances in the lbearings disappears at greater angles so that the beams 8 becomeagain parallel to the base.

The pawls I5 slide over the teeth I5 and lock the pistons in the raised position by engaging the teeth even if the air should escape from the cylinders. For lowering the beams 8 the valve `23 is closed if it hars not been closed before, and

the valve 26 is opened by turning the handle 2l in direction of an arrow A36. Air is thereby admitted into the cylinder I8, forcing the pistons IT into the cylinders against the tension of the springs I9 and withdrawing the pawls I6 from contact with the teeth I5. At the same time the valve 30 is opened by the link 28, releasing the air from the cylinders 9 and 9 so that the pistons can descend by gravity under the weightl of an automobile on the rails 8.

Our lift can also operate satisfactorily if but a single cylinder 9 is used and if suiiicient clearances are provided in the bearings as explained above so that the arm 6 can be raised ahead of the arm 6' thereby providing an angular pull on the fact that there is no load on the arms until the beams touch the axles of the automobile and become tilted as explained above, equalizing the load on the arms before the automobile begins to be lifted.

A separate removable frame may be provided The pipe 2| 1s alsoy The` initial lift is facilitated by for lifting an automobile by its wheels as shown in Fig. 4. The frame consists of rails 35 connected together by braces 35 which can be placed on top of the beams 8. The rails 35 are made so that their horizontal portions can rest on the floor thereby making it possible to roll the automobile directly on the rails into the proper position for its lifting.

We claim as our invention:

1. An auto lift comprising a base having two parallel beams, two pairs of arms pivotally supported by their lower ends on the beams, rails pivotally supported on the upper ends of the arms, the arms and the rails forming two hinged parallelograms. with the base, a cylinder mounted on the base by its upper end, a piston in the cylinder, a rod extending from the piston operatively connected with the middle portions Vof the arms, means to admit a uid under pressure into the cylinder for raising the arms, means to lock the piston with the' cylinder in the raised position, and a fluid operated means to release the locking means for lowering the arms. i

2. An auto lift comprising a base having two parallel beams, two pairs of arms pivotally supported by their lower ends on the base, rails pivotally supported on the upper ends of the arms and adapted to support an automobile, the armsteeth for locking the piston in the raised position,

and a fluid operated means to release the pawl for lowering the arms.

3. An auto lift comprising a base, arms pivotally supported on the base by their lower ends, rails pivotally supported on the upper ends of the arms and adapted to support an automobile, the arms and the rails forming parallelograms with the base, cylinders rigidly mounted on the base, pistons in the cylinders, operative connections between the pistons and the arms, pawls adapted to engage the pistons and to lock them in the raised position, air motors adapted to release the pawls from the pistons, a manually operable valve for admitting compressed air into the cylinders for raising the arms, a manually operable valve for admitting compressed air into the air motors for releasing the pawls from the pistons, and means `to release the air from the cylinders by opening the air motor valve.

4. An auto lift comprising a base, arms pivotally supported on the basepby their lower ends, railspivotally supported on the upper ends of the arms and adapted to support an automobile, the arms and the rails forming parallelograms with the base, a fluid operated motor comprising a cylinder and a piston mounted on the base and n operatively connected with one pair of the arms,

means to lock the piston relatively to the cylinder in they raised position, a fluid operated motor for releasing the lockingr means, means to admit fluid into the lifting motor, means to release the fluidy from the lifting motor, means to admit fluid into the releasing motor, and means torender a,ao1,1eo 3 the arms and the rails forming parallelograms index-s, means to release the pistons from the with the base, cylinders rigidly mounted on the cylinders, and operative connections between the base, pistons in the cylinders, pivoted slidaiznleA locking means releasing means and the means for connections between the pistons and the arms, releasing fluid from the cylinders for rendering means to lock the pistons relatively to the cylthe latter means operative when the pistons are 5 inders in the raised position, means to admit released. i Y com uid into `the cylinders for raising VADIM S. MAKAROFF. the arms, means to release the duid from the cyl-` ALEXIS JACKSON. 

